Stars
by Bibbledoo
Summary: Maddie Fenton was not expecting a crying ghost boy in love with the stars much like her own son, Danny, is. And so they chat about stars and dreams and family. Maddie/Danny bonding fic, a few tears but no injuries (unlike my other Maddie/Danny works). Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Hopefully this has a distinct identity form all the other bonding stuff I've written.  
I hope you enjoy, this was made with lots of attention and love.

* * *

The night was chilly when Madeline Fenton was walking home from patrolling the streets of Amity Park (mostly to keep an eye out for that Phantom menace, and the other trying to look for her son) that she stopped her stroll through the park to see the specter on her mind.

He was lying down, floating just a little over the grass, and looking at the stars. His face was stoic and his body was still.

And then his eyes watered and just as he went to wipe them Maddie spoke up.

"Phantom," she said, and Phantom sat up quickly and stood up mid air in alarm even faster. His eyes searched all over her for a weapon. Finding none, he relaxed. Drifted back onto the ground. The flicker of fear and what could possibly be pain or guilt if he weren't a ghost that definitely could not feel anything of that sort passed his eyes, but it was masked instantly by a casual smile and artificial confidence.

"Hey Maddie," he said, drifting along the air calmly. The air got colder. "What brings you here? Where's the gun?" To her surprise he seemed unafraid at all. Calm. Quiet.

It was mildly suspicious to her.

"There's no weapon, Phantom." She informed him. He shrugged.

"That's actually good. I don't like fighting you. Or d… your husband, Jack." He sat uncomfortably before having a sort of realization and patting the ground next to him. "Care to sit with me? Just for a while." He remained silent and the gears in his head were turning. "You mortals don't have as much time on your hands, so I understand if you can't stay for long-"

"Phantom."

"Maddie."

"You talk a lot. Shush it." And with that, she sat down next to him. The silence wrapped around them like a stuffy scarf. Phantom cleared his throat.

"What's your favorite constellation?" She gave the same answer she'd given her own son, Danny, many times when he'd asked various times.

"That one with the belt, O-"

"Orion!" The ghost seemed to withdraw into himself. "I, uh… I had my suspicions you were an Orion type. You just look like it." Maddie had no idea if that was an insult or a compliment.

"My son's favorite is the Little Dipper." Phantom nodded.

"That's my favorite, too." The silence filled the air again.

"What are you doing out here, Phantom?" Maddie finally asked. He stiffened. And then he shrugged.

"I just wanted to look at the stars." He took a deep breath, one that sounded much too necessary for a ghost, "I used to come here with my mom a lot when I was a kid." Maddie bit back the reflexive "you're still a child," knowing it would force her to admit she'd been hurting and planning to torture a mere child, and simply nodded.

"I used to come here with my son, too. He used to talk about-"

"Wanting to be an astronaut." Maddie tensed. Phantom seemed to have just processed what he said and hurried to correct himself. "It's what I told my mom, so I just assumed. I'm sorry." Maddie shook her head.

"It's alright I guess. I just… I guess I didn't realize how run of the mill our conversations were. They felt unique." Phantom looked guilty.

"I'm sure they were unique. I mean, many people say 'I love you' and that doesn't kill the word."

"That's very insightful of you, Phantom."

"Thank you, ma'am." But then he shuffled and the air felt heavy and Maddie forced herself to swallow her pride.

"What's bothering you, Phantom?" He squirmed.

"N-nothing-"

"I hope you realize lying to me is not that easy. I haven't fallen for your benevolent act, either." He sighed. Phantom's pristine white gloves went through his silver hair.

"I'll never get to be an astronaut now." The words died as suddenly as they came to life, and when Maddie turned to look at Phantom, he was looking away.

He made a strangled sob. And just like that he was crying. His tears glistened in the moonlight and Maddie recoiled. Her hand moved to comfort him and she stopped herself. This wasn't her kid. This was a ghostly menace. This was an innocent act. It had to be.

He continued crying.

"I'll never get to be with the stars," he cried out. "All I have is this… this, this hero thing that everyone thinks is a ruse and I just-" he ran his hands through his hair again like Danny did and Maddie's heart was hurting with the need to help Phantom.

Warm arms wrapped around his cold form and Phantom stopped his sobs for a second. He sniffled. And then he returned the hug and continued crying. He burrowed his head into the crook of her neck and kept crying.

Maddie didn't know how she recognized it, but from the way he was absorbing the hug and clutching onto her tight and crying as she muttered a few "shh," "it's okay to cry," "let it all out," "it's okay," and even one hesitant "I'm here," she could feel the way this had been bubbling over in his mind. A part of her suggested motherly instinct before shaking it off. This wasn't her kid. This was some... other… lady's… dead… kid. Oh no.

Maddie couldn't imagine losing her kid. Phantom muttered something reminiscing an apology and she reassured him. They held the hug for a while. Maddie's leg was starting to fall asleep, and Phantom seemed to just be falling asleep in general. As a ghost, there was no way he would need sleep, but maybe he was just pretending to need to breathe and sleep to act like one of the living.

"Thanks Mom," he mumbled before relaxing slightly. He still wasn't letting go. Her chest constricted painfully.

He thought she was his mom. Maybe she should let him have that just this once. Before he started trying to fool the town again. Before they'd have to fight. She found himself playing with his silver locks as he relaxed under the comforting touch. He felt touch starved to her, and she found herself wishing to hug him forever. Hug Danny, too.

Except this wasn't Danny. This was Phantom. Maddie sighed.

"Goodnight, Phantom…" she breathed out slowly. "Danny. Goodnight, Danny." _Just this once._

"Goodnight Mom." She hummed and held him close as he drifted off to a light sleep.

It felt perfect to her, and she looked up at the stars again. Her gaze found Ursa Major and Ursa Minor and she smiled, remembering how Danny had pointed to the constellations once and said that the bears were them. And she relaxed, too.

Just this once. Only for a little while.

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Feels kinda bittersweet and I want to do a second chapter but idk if anyone wants that.  
Favorite and review if you'd like, I'd gladly publish a second chapter to tie it up a little neater if anyone wants that.  
Love y'all and see you around.


	2. Chapter 2

Hopefully this is what you were all hoping for, because I feel this tied it up a little more kind of nicely.  
Enjoy!

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That being said, after Phantom's light sleep turned into a deeper one, Maddie didn't know what to do. A part of her realized that a ghost who fights other ghosts on a daily basis could be left alone outside overnight: he would stop his unneeded sleep and go back to haunting the city; however, a smaller, more emotional part of her felt nauseous at the idea of leaving a teenager out by himself at night.

She couldn't take him home, anyway, she reasoned. She could wake him up.

Maddie glanced at the sleeping apparition still clinging onto her. There was no way she would wake him up. Call it irrationality, but the ghost looked like he needed that rest. Maybe ghosts had their own state similar to sleep that allowed them to gather up energy? She debated studying him before snapping out of it. Just this once. She will let him be just this once.

Maddie stood up and carried the ghost, careful not to wake him up.

A place, a place… She needed a place to let them both rest without being vulnerably outside or inside of the Fenton Works building where her family could get hurt. And then it hit her.

The Fenton RV.

It was perfect: away from public eyes but not quite within the actual Fenton household, and easy to subdue Phantom if he drops the act and becomes aggressive.

Maddie began her trek towards the RV with the ghost still in her arms.

They reached the RV, and Maddie quietly hoisted them into the vehicle before closing the doors. The windows were slightly rolled down to allow some cool night air and any possible hot air from the morning out. Then again, considering Phantom was a ghost, he could probably keep the air cold through the mere act of existing.

Maddie continued to play with Phantom's silky locks and let her mind race.

She couldn't imagine losing her baby boy. Phantom's mother must feel so distraught and Maddie felt a wince of sympathy for whoever this woman might be. She glanced down at Phantom, who was propped up against her while still asleep, and sighed.

She wondered where Danny was, but a strange calm rested in her chest, feeling that he was near and okay. Maybe he'd come home while she was here with the ghost that looked just like her son…

Maddie's eyes drooped and her grip around Phantom relaxed somewhat. They slumped against each other and just as Maddie felt herself slip away into sleep, a flash of white light illuminated the space within the RV. Her last thought was that maybe she had missed a crucial part of what ghosts did while in a "resting" state, but that thought slipped away with her consciousness.

Madeline Fenton woke up to a pale gray sky and a thin frame propped up against her. Rubbing the grogginess out of her eyes, she allowed the events of the night before catch up with her.

There was no way Phantom would still be here, she thought. No way. She glanced at the form next to her and her jaw dropped lightly.

Danny. Her son. Right there, next to her, asleep. The gears in Maddie's brain spun and grinded against each other until she came to a conclusion. Phantom, "waking up" from his "sleep," had for some reason thought that since he had been with her until she fell asleep, that bringing her son over to her while they were both asleep to fulfill the "mother-son" attitude of the place. It was giving the specter a lot of slack, but it was the most sensical thing that crossed her mind.

Maddie sighed and hook her son awake. Blue eyes looked up at her.

"Hey Mom," he said, before he realized where he was and bolted upright. He glanced at himself, looked at his hair, and relaxed. Danny smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Hello Danny," she said. "Phantom must've brought you here overnight." Maddie missed the way her son tensed before nodding in exaggerated agreement.

"Yes, that must've been it," he said. Maddie ruffled his hair and Danny leaned into the touch. Maybe they weren't as drifted away from each other as Maddie had originally thought.

"Let's make ourselves some breakfast," Maddie stated before taking her son's hand and hopping off the RV and into Fenton Works. As the two chatted and prepared breakfast, her thoughts about last night and Phantom drifted away. She was glad to be here now with Danny. Her son. Even if it was only for this one morning before he distanced himself from her again.

"Love you, Mom," Danny said as he leaned on her. Maddie ruffled his hair again.

"Love you too, Danny." And with that, she planted a kiss on his forehead and served their plates.

This was a perfect Saturday morning, even if it was just this once, just for this small moment. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

And that was Stars! Small and sweet with some good old typical Fenton parents missing an obvious answer.  
I enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it, too. Love y'all and see you around!


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